You can find just about anything you want at this massive retailer—except for these things Walmart won't sell anymore
From applesauce to tires, you can pretty much buy anything at Walmart. Or can you? Maybe you’ve noticed that a few items that once graced the store’s shelves are no longer there. Were they dangerous, unpopular or just plain inappropriate? You’ll soon find out! These 14 items got the proverbial boot, and now they’ve officially found themselves on the growing list of things Walmart won’t sell anymore.
We spoke to consumer expert Destiny Chatman from online rewards site TopCashback for insights into some of the most controversial items pulled from this famous discount retailer’s shelves. Keep reading to find out more, and get the inside scoop on why they were yanked.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more shopping, humor, cleaning, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.
“Wirkin” bag
When the “Wirkin” bag popped up on social media in 2024, the blaze was so bright. This inexpensive dupe for the five-to-six-figure luxury Birkin bag had people outraged at the clear copycatting, but also delighted at the fact that a near-identical purse was so accessible. (By the way, Wirkin is a portmanteau of Walmart and Hermès’ famous Birkin, of course.)
Even elite fashionistas purchased them to compare to the real deal, with many citing very few differences in quality of materials and craftsmanship. Alas, they are no more. “The ‘Wirkin’ bags that made headlines have now been removed from Walmart’s online Marketplace and stores,” Chatman says. “These are likely to have been pulled for legal reasons.”
E-cigarettes
Vaping was originally touted as a tool to help people quit cigarettes, but with growing concerns about the dangers of vaping, many retailers are cutting back on selling the e-cigarettes and their cartridges. (They’re also things that Costco won’t sell anymore).
In September 2019, Walmart announced that it was halting all sales of e-cigarettes once its current inventory was sold. This was after they had already committed to raising the age for buying e-cigarettes and vaping products to 21, as well as stopped selling the fruit- and dessert-flavored vaping liquids that appealed to minors.
Cocaine Santa sweater
One of the most legendary and bizarre products that Walmart has ever stocked was an ugly Christmas sweater emblazoned with the phrase “Let It Snow” and an image of Santa—with what appeared to be three lines of cocaine on the table in front of him. The infamous holiday sweater was pulled from Walmart’s website in 2019, but was quickly resurrected on Amazon where it became the hit pick for ugly-sweater holiday parties that year.
Handguns and some ammunition
After two mass shootings at Walmart locations in Mississippi and Texas that killed 24 people, the company decided in 2019 to stop selling handguns along with ammunition for handguns and short-barrel rifles at stores in every state. Walmart’s website in 2025 also notes that they do not sell military-style rifles such as the AR-15.
Walmart hasn’t gotten out of the gun business entirely, though. They still sell long-barrel deer rifles and shotguns, plus the ammunition for them. But the move in 2019 notably reduced Walmart’s share of the gun-and-ammunition market from 20% to 9%.
Metro 7 clothes
While the first Walmart opened its doors in 1962, the store didn’t try to make its own clothing until 2005. The private-label collection was branded Metro 7, and it launched with splashy ad campaigns in Vogue. However, while the line did well in some of the initial stores, Metro 7 failed to catch fire elsewhere. The fashion line was “quickly discontinued,” according to Forbes. Since then, Walmart had better success with private labels like Faded Glory, which you can still buy today.
Counterfeit personal care products
If you’ve been buying lipstick and body lotion through Walmart’s online Marketplace, have you noticed a change in quality? As of late July 2025, “Walmart pulled thousands of beauty and personal care products as they implement new vetting and documentation standards for Marketplace sellers,” Chatman says, adding that the retailer’s goal is to combat counterfeit or mislabeled items being sold under the Walmart brand.
Moving forward, the retailer will restrict sales to brand owners and authorized distributors, and only if they can meet certain regulations. (You can find more information on Walmart’s website, specifically their Prohibited Products Policy.) This impacted thousands of listings, so you might want to check the site to see if your fave is still available.
Water Gremlin products
This Minnesota-based company, which produces lead fishing sinkers, fell out of favor with Walmart in 2019. Why? The children of factory workers were found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood, which was associated with their parents’ exposure to the products, according to Minnesota Public Radio.
White Stag
Once a signature private fashion label for Walmart, White Stag was one of three store brands—the others being Faded Glory and Just My Size—that Walmart pulled from its shelves in 2018 to make room for its new brands: Time and Tru for women, Terra & Sky for plus sizes and Wonder Nation for kids.
Of course, seasoned Walmart shoppers know that Faded Glory and Just My Size are currently available in 2025, so it seems that White Stag, which seems to have disappeared entirely from Walmart, was the sole permanent casualty from that initial pull.
Naughty Leopard costumes for toddlers
It can be tricky to find Halloween costumes for women and teens that aren’t overtly sexy. (Even wholesome characters like Elmo and Hello Kitty have gotten the “naughty” treatment from costume companies.) But when Walmart stocked a “Naughty Leopard” costume in toddler sizes back in 2013, customers complained about the word naughty in the description.
Despite the costume’s innocent look, because naughty is often used to describe racier costumes, the costume was pulled from the shelves and became another one of those things Walmart won’t sell anymore.
Zantac
Walmart was among several retailers—including CVS Health, Walgreens and Rite Aid—that pulled the heartburn drug Zantac (and anything else with its active ingredient, ranitidine) after regulators found low levels of a probable cancer-causing chemical. This discovery also resulted in recalls of several prescription blood pressure medications that year.
Multiple class action and other lawsuits are currently ongoing regarding the alleged links to cancer from Zantac and other similar medications. In May 2024, drug maker Sanofi agreed to pay more than $200 million to settle roughly 10,000 lawsuits, and as of March 2025, nearly 2,500 cases were still pending.
Progressive Furniture
By the end of 2025, the Progressive Furniture company will cease all operations, including their sales at Walmart. “Due to supply chain challenges and rising operational costs, the brand was forced to shut down,” Chatman explains. “However, all existing orders and warranties will be fulfilled through closure.”
This is a surprise to many, since the U.S.-based home furnishings brand has supplied affordable furniture since it was founded in 1985. Company president Dan Kendrick told Furniture Today that the shutdown of a Mexican supplier, which provided 60% of their products, was a “major impact.”
Inappropriate teen underwear
During the 2007 holiday season, Walmart went in an interesting direction with underwear geared toward teens. The hot-pink bikinis were emblazoned with the words “who needs credit cards” on the front and “when you have Santa” on the back. Outraged parents objected for obvious reasons, and the panties were stripped from the shelves. This one of those things Walmart won’t sell anymore that everyone can agree on.
Snack subscriptions
Subscription snack boxes may be all the rage now, but Walmart’s Goodies monthly snack subscription was clearly a little too ahead of its time. Launched in late 2012, Goodies shipped a box of six to eight sample-sized snacks each month for $7, but after a year in beta testing, Walmart shelved the project when it didn’t do as well as hoped. Of course, Walmart is now one of the stores that has grocery pickup and delivery.
“Someday a woman will be president” T-shirts
In 1995, Walmart did a major flip-flop on one of its items: a shirt featuring Dennis the Menace character Margaret with the phrase “someday a woman will be president!” After originally stocking it, Walmart pulled the T-shirt from shelves, saying that “the message went against their philosophy of family values,” according to the Washington Post. (Yes, you read that right.)
After a well-deserved nationwide uproar, Walmart later restocked the shirts, ordering 30,000 more to place in all their stores. You can’t buy that particular shirt at Walmart now, but you can buy shirts for actual female former presidential contenders—including Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar.
About the expert
|
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Destiny Chatman, consumer expert for TopCashback; interview, August 2025
- Inc.: “Walmart’s Response to the Controversy Over That Knockoff Hermès Bag Is a Stroke of Genius”
- NPR: “Walmart To Stop Selling E-Cigarettes”
- Drug Watch: “Zantac Lawsuit”
- New York Post: “Cocaine Santa sweater is now a best-seller on Amazon”
- CNN: “Walmart ends all handgun ammunition sales and asks customers not to carry guns into stores”
- Walmart: “Prohibited Products Policy: Overview”
- MPR News: “Walmart to stop selling Water Gremlin products”
- ABC News: “Walmart Pulls ‘Naughty Leopard’ Costume for Kids”
- TechCrunch: “Walmart Labs’ Subscription Snack Service Goodies.co Will Shut Down”
- Washington Post: “That Time Walmart Banned a T-shirt Saying A Woman Will Be President.”
